


Greater Than The Sun

by shittyfoureyes



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Canon Compliant, Canon Era, Canon Universe, Caring, Companion Piece, Companions, First Love, Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Fluff without Plot, Life Partners, Long-Term Relationship(s), M/M, No Angst, Precious Eren Yeager, Protective Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Protectiveness, Romantic Fluff, Sappy, Sentimental, True Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-02
Updated: 2020-03-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:14:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22982338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shittyfoureyes/pseuds/shittyfoureyes
Summary: A rare moment of peace reminds Levi to cherish the good things in life.A companion piece toRising Sun.
Relationships: Levi & Eren Yeager, Levi/Eren Yeager
Comments: 15
Kudos: 234





	Greater Than The Sun

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into 中文-普通话 國語 available: [【艾利/授翻】Greater Than The Sun大于太阳](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23714239) by [TINOJM17](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TINOJM17/pseuds/TINOJM17)



> This is based on some beautiful artwork I received from [Ningyo Gaaru](https://ningyogaaru.tumblr.com/) depicting a smitten Levi adoring Eren. It's my way of saying thank you for creating such beauty, and I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> You're definitely missing out if you haven't checked out [their Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/ningyogaaru/). For real, go look, you're gonna love it.
> 
> Update: There's a companion piece to this fic, [Rising Sun](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23405170), written from Eren's perspective.  
> 

_Preachers and sinners we are all the same let's save ourselves and drink from deeper wells_

_Hatred and compassion wail against the walls we are invaders trying to escape_

_Fight for just a lifetime count the moments lost be so alive and cry as time goes by_

_Ladies and gentlemen lights are going out let's step outside and watch the city sleep_

_Greater than the sun_

_We are greater than the sun_

Covenant, "Greater Than The Sun"

\---  
  
  


Levi’s ears perk up when he hears the slow scrape of tired feet in the hall. The footsteps stop at the door, and Levi looks up from his report to see what living corpse just dragged itself across the threshold. The flickering candlelight casts deep shadows across the apparition’s face, and with its shoulder braced against the door frame, the nocturnal visitor speaks.

“Oh, good. I was hoping you’d be here.” 

Levi taps the heavy stack of papers on his knee to straighten the crooked pages before setting it on the side table. The scout in the doorway offers the captain a weak but warm smile, and the captain mirrors it as he extends his arm to beckon him.

“You look like shit,” Levi jokes, pointing out the obvious to the exhausted boy limping toward him. Eren chuckles in response to the affectionate insult as he flops gracelessly onto the sofa next to Levi.

“I feel like it,” Eren mumbles, dropping his head onto his captain’s enticingly warm, sturdy shoulder. Levi ruffles his hair and kisses the top of his head, giving Eren a small chuckle of his own, to which Eren responds with a nuzzle against his neck and pleased-sounding hum. Eren closes his weary green eyes to soak up Levi’s warmth and inhale his comforting scent, but only a few seconds later, he suddenly sits up. “Sorry, am I interrupting your work?”

“Never,” replies Levi with all sincerity, wrapping an arm around Eren’s shoulders to encourage him to lay his head back down. “I was getting sick of reading all these shitty reports, anyway. I don’t know why Erwin makes me read through all of them after he already did. They all say the same thing. It’s fucking mind-numbing.”

“Did you get to mine yet?” Eren closes his eyes once more, cuddling up closer to Levi, who has tipped his head onto the back of the sofa and closed his own tired eyes. Levi snorts in response, indicating that he had, in fact, read his.

“I didn’t even need to see your signature at the bottom to know it was yours.”

“What gave it away?” Eren says, still mumbling, but now with a subtle undertone of amusement. He turns his entire face away to hide his grin.

“Well, for one, the entire thing was written in chicken scratch, so that was a pretty big clue.” Levi playfully jostles Eren and smiles to himself. “But if that didn’t give it away… You know the report was supposed to be about the mission and not _me_ , right?” Levi’s smile grows brighter when Eren laughs. “Little shit.”

“It _was_ about the mission! It wouldn’t have been successful without the excellent leadership of our captain!” Eren turns his face back to Levi, and Levi looks down at him with an accusatory glare, but the amusement in his eyes and the smile on his lips render the admonition completely ineffective.

Levi kisses Eren’s brow and takes a moment to memorize Eren’s goofy smile and sparkling eyes before leaning his head back again. 

Going on assignment is always stressful, but this one was supposed to be easy. It was just a basic infiltration and reconnaissance mission. No gear, no titans, no targets, only a little bit of snooping, some minor distractions, and a few hours of gossipping in the pub where off-duty MP always gather and drink themselves into carelessness. Easy. 

Things never turn out as planned.

But now it’s over, asses and tracks covered, and everyone made it back alive and well apart from a few black eyes and bruises. 

Couldn’t they give the scouts a break after a job well done? Of course not.

“You all did very well. I’m proud of you.” Eren squirms against Levi’s side at the praise, and Levi loves the feel of his strong, brave soldier’s arm wrapping around his waist. Levi lives for these moments of peace with Eren. The constant stress takes its toll on everyone in the Survey Corps, but Levi and Eren most of all. Rest is a luxury for them, even more so for them than the others, so Levi always makes sure to enjoy these rare moments with Eren to their absolute fullest.

“Do you want me to bring you something to eat?” If Levi is this worn out and hungry just from reading reports, Eren must be famished. 

“Maybe in a bit.” Eren turns onto his side to get more comfortable, and Levi allows him to lie across his lap despite knowing that someone could walk in on them at any moment. “Just wanna rest my eyes for a second.”

It’s a very long second.

Before Levi knows it, Eren’s fast asleep.

Levi knows he shouldn’t wake Eren–clearly, he’s exhausted and needs his rest–but he can’t resist the urge to run his fingers through that scruffy mop of soft, brown hair, so he does, albeit carefully. It _is_ soft. Tangled, yes, but so, so soft. 

As soft and tangled as his feelings for Eren.

He knows Eren deserves better than a grumpy, worn-out old soldier like him. He knows the dangerous, hopeless situation they’re in. That’s why Levi resisted at first. He knew he could die at any moment; they’re fighting titans for fuck’s sake. There’s a reason the Survey Corps has the smallest numbers and the highest mortality rate of the three military branches. Eren shouldn’t be in love with someone who could so easily end up on the wrong side of that 50%. Love in the Survey Corps is a guarantee of heartbreak.

Eren could just as easily be in that unlucky 50%.

But Levi is never, ever going to let that happen. As long as he lives, he will protect Eren, no matter how selfish his desire to do so may be. Eren makes life worth living, and he loves this brat more than words can say. How foolish he was for resisting. But, then again, how was he to know how incredible love could be? How powerful and wonderful and terrifying? How rare and precious and beautiful as the one who gave it to him? 

He hadn’t known, and if Eren never came along and showed him, he never would have. 

Letting Eren into his heart was both the best and worst decision Levi has ever made. He'd never been in love before. Never had someone to call his. Never wanted to. But now? Now he knows how good life can be. He also knows now just how much he stands to lose. 

He’s not going to think about that. They’re here now, alive, defying all the odds, and it’s going to stay that way.

Levi never thought of himself as cold-hearted, but, then again, he'd never in his life felt a warmth like Eren’s love. Eren’s love is like the sun; bright and searing, hot enough to melt the heart he never realized was frozen. 

Levi lived his whole life underground in inescapable darkness. He remembers the first time he saw the sun. Remembers exactly how he felt. It doesn’t compare.

Eren is even greater than the sun.

Eren’s light is so bright that only it was strong enough to burn away all the darkness in him. Levi's gratitude for Eren's love is exceeded only by the love he feels for him in return.

Levi sighs and gazes down at the messy-haired boy snoring softly with his head on his lap, his body warm and heavy, his curled hands twitching against him as he dreams. He looks peaceful and content. He hopes Eren’s dream is as good as the one he’s having, even though it’s only Eren who is asleep.

\---

“Levi, have you finish–”

Erwin freezes when he enters the room. He stands there for a moment, observing the scene in front of him. At first, he’s shocked, but soon he’s shaking his head and smiling to himself.

Erwin closes the door quietly behind him, and Levi pretends he hadn’t heard the footsteps.


End file.
